THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[August 1, 1920. 



The Rubber Trade in Great Britain. 



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TRADE generally shows a falling ulf from the activity of 

 last year and the opinion is freely cxprt-sscd that we are in 

 for a period of slackness all around. Another claim for in- 

 creased wages is confronting the managements of the works and 

 the indications are that the matter will not be easily settled. 



The development of rubber planting on the Amazon is a mat- 

 ter of interest to many besides those primarily concerned. The 

 the yield in the last ten years shows the latent possi- 

 strict in the future for making up any deficiencies 

 supply which may be caused by the spread of 

 This appears to be unknown in Brazil 



increase 



bilities of this 



in the Easter 



pests like the worm pest 



where the main bar to progress seems to lie in transport and 

 labor difficulties, which will have to be overcome if the rubber 

 is to compete economically with the product of the Far East. 

 With regard to quality, I have not seen any definite statement as 

 to whether the Brazilian plantation rubber ranks equally with the 

 product of the wild trees in the saine locality. If it does, then 

 it w^ould follow that the age of the tree is not a prime factor. 

 But if it does not, one would still expect the plantation rubber 

 grown in its original home and presuinably coagulated by the 

 native method to be free from the irregularities associated with 

 the Far Eastern product. 



Certain seers predicted a shortage in the supply of raw rubber 

 for the world's requirements during the current year. There is 

 no sign of this yet, judging by market quotations, and it may be 

 taken that ujitil world conditions get back to normal— always sup- 

 posing there are not a series of revolutions— what may be con- 

 sidered the legitimate trend of trade will not be observable. No 

 doubt a lot of people want rubber in some form > 

 have got to pay for it and this 



other, but they 

 just where the difficulty comes 



There is general agreement among 

 very quiet at present and buyers se. 



jfacturers that business 

 to be waiting until sales 



CALLENDER'S CABLE CONSTRUCTIO^f CO.. LIMITED. 



Cailcnder's Cable Con.struction Co., Limited, showed an in- 

 creased profit of il61,524 in 1919 and has paid 15 per cent 

 against 12Vo per cent in 1918. As the works at Eritt, London, 

 and Leigh, Lancashire, are now relieved of special government 

 work the additional plant and buildings which w^ere erected dur- 

 ing the war period are now available for the largely increased 

 ordinary business. In order to finance this a new public issue 

 of £400,000 Preference shares and £100,000 Ordinary shares has 

 been made, the former at par and the latter at £1.2.f. per share. It 

 is stated that the sales for 1920 are double those for the same 

 period of 1919. 



CARRIAGE OF DANGEROUS GOODS. 



A memorandum has recently been issued by the Board of 

 Trade with reference to the carriage of dangerous goods on 

 board ship and there are several references not without interest 

 to the rubber trade. Xot for the reason that the rubber manu- 

 facturer ships his own chemicals or is responsible for the safe 

 carriage of goods which come from overseas, but rather because 

 the remarks in the text are of general import. Thus with regard 

 to carbon bisulphide it is stated that the vapor has a tendency to 

 travel and if it finds its way to any surface sufficiently warm to 

 ignite it the flame will flash back and ignite the liquid. This 

 has occurred at twenty feet from the warm surface. The mere 

 striking together of two pieces of iron within the inflammable 

 atmosphere may cause ignition. 



-Aniline oil is stated to give oflf vapors which are poisonous if 

 inhaled for some time. "Some time" strikes one as rather too 

 indefinite. It is interesting to note that nothing is said regarding 

 reclaimed rubber although some of the shipping companies decline 

 to carry it, without much reason, in my opinion. The association 

 with oil has raised the bar, as so many oiled materials are liable 



are forced by the difficulty, monetary or otherwise, of holding to spontaneous combustion. In th 



large stocks. An interesting market feature which is causing 

 comment is that Fine Hard Para is quoted within a half penny 

 of the price of plantation rubber and I have heard the opinion 

 expressed that the demand will go up. It seems doubtful, how- 

 ever, if this will eventuate, because if both were purchasable at, 

 say two shillings per pound, allowing for the loss on washing 

 alone, the Brazilian would be two shillings sixpence per pound 

 and the now increased cost of washing and drying have to be 

 added to this. 



A matter which is of deep concern to the trade is the recent 

 death of W. G. Wilson, secretary of the India Rubber Manu- 

 facturers' Association and Joint Secretary of the National Joint 

 Industrial Council of the Rubber Manufacturing Industry. Mr. 

 Wilson was only forty-four years of age and there can be little 

 doubt that he over-taxed his strength in his devotion to the in- 

 terests of his duties during the strenuous times of the last few- 

 years. It will be by no means easy to fill his place. 

 UNITED RUBBER PRODUCTS CO.. LIMITED. 

 The United Rubber Products Co., Limited, which has a capital 

 of £250,000 in shilling shares, owns the Urpco w-orks of the New 

 Urpco Rubber Co., Manchester, and has lately obtained control 

 of the rubber works of G. W. Laughton & Co., Limited, of Clay- 

 ton, Manchester. A certain amount of mystery attaches to the 

 business which is being carried on, this being associated with 

 some recent method of utilizing waste rubber. Louis .Alexander, 

 who was prominent in the promotion of the Sorbo Rubber Sponge 

 Co., is the leading spirit of the United Rubber Products Co., 

 Limited. 



dum it is recom- 

 mended that cases containing oiled goods intended for exporta- 

 tion as inerchandise should be perforated or otherwise ventilated. 

 When oiled materials are used for packing, care should be taken 

 to see that they have been properly dried and that the various 

 folds do not overlap in such a way as to bring several thicknesses 

 of the material together. If oiled clothing has been seasoned for 

 at least a month after manufacture and is packed in hermetically 

 sealed metal lined cases there should be no risk of spontaneous 

 combustion. With regard to this it would be interesting to know 

 if any cases of fire have occurred in the case of oil clothing in 

 transit since the large expansion of the business in recent years. 

 It is stated that spontaneous combustion in the case of lamp- 

 black is extremely rare, but as there is a possibility of its taking 

 place it should be kept protected from the wet. With regard to 

 this somewhat disputatious matter, all I can say here is that spon- 

 taneous combustion of lampblack was not so extremely rare in 

 rubber works in the past, whatever may be the case to-day. But 

 a great deal depends upon the exact nature of the lampblack or 

 what is sold as lampblack, some blacks being much more Hable 

 to fire than others. The Board of Trade is advised that India 

 rubber solution comes under the heading of dangerous goods, 

 and that it must not be treated as general cargo and covered with 

 other goods. It may be shipped under deck provided it is made 

 up in small collapsible lead tubes or in one-quarter and one-pound 

 tins packed in sawdust in tin lined cases. The same precautions 

 are to be taken with solutions of gutta percha in tetrachloride of 

 carbon, because, although it is non-inflammable, it is an anesthetic 

 like chloroform. 



